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2
Status and Trends of
Physical Activity behaviors
and Related School Policies
Key Messages
•
Few children in the United States, probably no more than half, meet 
the currently recommended standard of at least 60 minutes of 
vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical activity daily. 
o
The proportion meeting the standard declines with age, with 
more elementary school children than middle and high school 
students achieving the goal. Boys are more likely than girls to 
meet the recommendation. 
o
During the past 30-40 years, probably even longer, the volume 
and intensity of daily physical activity among youth have gradu-
ally declined.
•
Given the large proportion of total waking hours spent at school 
and in school-related activities, remarkably little is known about 
students’ physical activity behaviors during school hours and during 
school-related after-school activities. Despite some excellent research 
and a few good public health surveillance systems, current monitor-
ing of overall and school-related physical activity behaviors among 
continued

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
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